KCOU JAZZ
October 25, 2025
Songs Included
Luiz Bonfa | Samba de Orfeu | Solo in Rio (1959)
A highly influential song that properly introduced bossa nova to the world, Samba de Orfeu was written by Luis Bonfa in 1959 to accompany Marcel Camus’ Black Orpheus. The film was a landmark in Brazilian cinema, winning best foreign film and placing Brazilian culture in front of a global audience.
This song places listeners on top of a mountainous favela, looking out below onto the city of Rio de Janeiro and blends older samba styles with a more contemporary relaxed style. This style of music, drawing on cool jazz and popularized by the success of the film, would ultimately be drawn on continually in the coming years.
Jorge Ben Jor | Mas Que Nada | Samba Esquema Novo (1963)
Jorge Ben perfects samba and bossa nova grooves on this stand-out Brazilian classic. Written Ben’s debut album Samba Esquema Novo, Mas Que Nada soared in popularity when it was covered by Sergio Mendes in 1966.
This early sixties version features a feisty vocal and guitar performance from Jorge Ben, who lays on the back of a solid varied cross-stick beat and is accompanied by Pedro Paulo on trumpet and J.T. Meirelles on saxophone. The upbeat flow of this song and Jorge Ben’s other music was highly influential for American musicians aiming to emulate the same Brazilian samba groove.
Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto | Desafinido (1964)
In the wake of the bossa nova revolution, dozens of American jazz musicians flocked to Brazil. Working with local musicians to unlock the best of the genre, Stan Getz emerged as a musician with particular success. Getz joined singer and guitarist Joao Gilberto in 1964 to deliver the genre’s landmark album Getz/Gilberto.
Desafinido, written by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1959, roughly translates to “off-key” in English. The song was originally a response to critics who claimed that the bossa nova genre was created for singers who can't sing. On this recording, Gilberto delivers a serene and stylistically rich vocal performance, again backed by guitar and cross-stick drum patterns. When Getz arrives in this song, he relaxes on the back of beats, floats through lines, and weaves together impressionistic melodies, displaying a brilliant understanding of American jazz and Brazilian samba.
Antonio Carlos Jobim | Look To The Sky | Wave (1967)
When discussing Brazilian composers, no conversation can avoid the impact of Antonio Carlos Jobim. He defined the contours of what we consider to be bossa nova music by pinning samba rhythms to his influences in 1950s West Coast jazz and French impressionist compositions. The album Wave brings together those influences in a compact and concentrated fashion, and Look To The Sky is an example of Jobim’s best.
In Look To The Sky, Urbie Green carries a somewhat ethereal trombone melody over a bed of string ensemble and Jobim’s guitar and piano. Jobim conducts this piece of Bossa Nova in an orchestral capacity, a style that would be followed in future generations of Brazilian jazz artists.
Milton Nascimento | Tudo O Que Voce Podia Ser | Clube Da Esquina (1972)
A track that progresses like a vehicle in motion, Tudo O Que Voce Podia Ser feels like the beginning of a long journey. This track opens Milton Nascimento’s 1972 joint album with Lo Borges, and starts with impassioned guitar and distant vocals before progressing into a fueled rocking groove with shakers and congas.
On this album, Nascimento moved away from the bossa nova of the past and reached for a popular sound to connect across Brazil. Conceived at a time of political tension during Brazil’s military dictatorship, the album is known for its musical fusion risks and themes of friendship, liberty and youth. The album cover shows two young Brazilian boys sitting and eating bread, one not wearing shoes.
Arthur Verocai | Na boca do sol (1972)
Featured on Arthur Verocai’s 1972 self-titled album, Na boca do sol expounds upon the samba and orchestral influences of Brazil’s music Brazilian to incorporates more electronic elements. Featuring big horn hits and varied percussion, this piece follows a particularly turbulent road driven by deep-reaching bass, seeking synths, and yearning vocals.
Largely unsuccessful upon its release, this album has later emerged as a cult classic in the Brazilian jazz catalogue, and Arthur Verocai’s composing talents have been more recently explored through collaborations with contemporary musicians like Hiatus Kaiyote, Tyler the Creator, and BadBadNotGood.
Azimuth | Manha (1975)
Manha, recorded by Azymuth in 1975, feels largely ahead of its time. Employing sound effects, echoes, abstract sounds and psychedelic pockets, this piece goes a step further beyond orchestral influences and synths.
Syncopation also features heavily in this song, and it enters different trances of rhythm across its 3:45 duration. Manha, meaning morning, comes from Azimuth’s self-titled album.
Sergio Mendes | Magalenha | Brasileiro (1992)
Magalenha is the second song on Sergio Mendes’ 1992 Brasileiro album, and highlights the samba sub-genre of batucada, involving an ensemble of percussive forces to move a syncopated groove forward.
With ringing bells and joyful singing, this song is made for dance and carnival. Its performer, Sergio Mendes, was an instrumental figure in popularizing Brazilian music worldwide. .
Olodum | Amor de Eva | O Movimento (1994)
From Brazil’s Northeast Bahia region, Olodum’s musical style blends African drum styles with Brazilian samba, using booming drum patterns to move horn and vocal melodies along a reggae inspired carnival performance. As a music group, Olodum have developed music into activism to combat social discrimination and boost the self-esteem and pride of Afro-Brazilians.
This song, Amor de Eva, comes from their 1994 album O Movimento and embodies all of those musical and cultural characteristics.
Barbatuques | Baiao Destemperado | Corpo Do Som (2002)
A relentlessly percussive style, Baiao is a music and dance originating from the Bahia region. While traditional baiaos are situated on the syncopated pulse of the zabumba drum, Baiao Destemperado’s pattern is marked by clapping, snapping, and mouth pops.
Known for their use of clapping and using their bodies as musical instruments, this album by the Barbatuques translates to Body of Sound. Thumping electric bass and impassioned flute move throughout this beat, and bring together a distinct musical palette.